If you live with chickens or have found orphaned fertilized eggs, you may be wondering how chicks hatch so be prepared and check that everything works correctly. Well, the first and most important thing is to check that the eggs have indeed been fertilized and that chicks will hatch from them. Once this information is confirmed, we will have to follow a series of recommendations to ensure proper development of the embryo.
In this article on our site we will focus on explaining how hen chicks hatch, probably the most widespread bird in the world. Keep reading!
How do chickens reproduce?
Before we go on to explain how chicks are born, we will briefly talk about the reproduction of chickens. These birds at birth already have all their eggs, which are their reproductive cells. Regularly one of them develops and passes through the reproductive system. It is on this trip that the formation of the egg that the hen is going to lay takes place. The process always happens in the hens, without the need for the presence of a rooster. And, without a rooster, fertilization is not possible, so that egg is nothing more than a hen's ovum. No chick hatches from it.
Now then, when there is a rooster, the reproduction of the hens is oviparous and occurs, as we have already said, through fertilization. The reproductive organs of birds are known by the name " cloacas" because they are slightly different from those of other animal species. Thus, the hen has a small hole through which it moves the sperm towards the oviduct. The rooster, on the other hand, has a penis that deposits the sac full of sperm in the orifice of the hen.
How to know if an egg is fertilized?
Most of the eggs we buy in supermarkets come from chicken farms where there are no roosters, so there is no risk that any of them may be fertilized. On the other hand, if the eggs we buy come from home production where roosters and hens live together, we will be interested in discovering how to know if an egg is fertilized
In this regard, the first thing we need to know is that, in order for a chick to hatch from an egg, it must be incubated. So, if the hen does not incubate it, we can suspect that the egg is either not fertilized or, if it is, it will not come out. If in doubt, we can use a candling device, which is nothing more than a device that allows the egg to be completely illuminated so that its interior can be intuited. In a homemade way we can achieve the same effect with a flashlight of a similar size to the egg, which we will use completely in the dark. If we see a spot like spider legs, it is a developing embryo, that is, the egg is fertilized. In any case, if it is not incubated, in the hen or in an incubator, this growth will be truncated.
Once we have opened an egg we can also determine if it is fertilized or not. The yolk has a spot called germinal disc It is the place through which the rooster's sperm enters the egg and from there the chick will begin to develop. In an unfertilized egg this spot is white and very small, about 2-3 millimeters. On the other hand, when the egg is fertilized, you will see a kind of bull's eye with a clear center and a white outline.
How long is a chick in the egg?
The chicken chicks come out of the egg already with down and their eyes open. Almost immediately they are able to walk and feed themselves. They are known as precocious hatchlings or nidífugas This means that their development inside the egg is very complete. It is encrypted in 21 days, when they should hatch, although in some cases the hatching of the egg can be delayed even one more week, generally because they are at a inadequate temperature.
Ideally, the hen should hatch the eggs so that they can develop properly. However, if we have found orphaned eggs, it will be necessary to use an incubator to ensure their survival. When purchasing the machine, the professional who sells it to us will already inform us of its correct use. What we must keep in mind is that for an egg to continue, it is essential to carry out the task of " manual turning" in case the incubator does not count with this option. This turning must be done from day 0 to day 18 for the embryo to develop well. To do this, it is best to turn the eggs every hour or at least three times a day. These turns should not be 360º, but 38-45º and very carefully. Undoubtedly, a specialized veterinarian will advise us to do this task in the best possible way.
Below, we detail the parts of an egg and how chicks hatch.
Parts of a fertilized egg
Once the egg has been fertilized, the embryo will begin to develop. At this point, it is normal for us to wonder how the chick receives its food and how it can grow in the egg. Well, the parts of a fertilized egg are:
- Shell: its function is to protect its content.
- Albumin: corresponds to the egg white and is the main source of food, mostly made up of protein.
- Vitello: this is the yolk and is the part responsible for nourishing the chick.
- Amniotic fluid: protects the embryo and allows it to move.
- Chamber or air cell: prevents the entry of bacteria.
How does a chick hatch from an egg?
During the last days of life inside the egg, the chick adopts a typical posture for hatching, which is withthe peak below the right wing Just before hatching, the chick will occupy almost the entire space of the egg, except for what is known as the air chamber. It has also already absorbed almost all the yolk, which, let's remember, is the part of the egg destined to nourish the chick. It is made up of protein and fat. Absorption is produced by the abdominal cavity and causes a series of contractions that push the head outwards, with the beak up and to the right.
This process ends by breaking the allantois, which is an outer membrane of the embryo that performs functions related to excretion and respiration. After the break, there is an increase in carbon dioxide, which is a stimulus for the chick to start breathing through its lungs. In addition, by breaking the air chamber, the chick already occupies all the space in the egg and can begin to bite it. The absorption of the yolk has also ended, so the healing of the navel begins.
Some 24 hours after lung respiration begins, the chick's efforts to hatch begin and we can even hear it chirping. To get out, it bites the egg shell in a counterclockwise direction. This process can take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours, so if you're wondering how long it takes for a chick to hatch, here's the answer. It should be noted that if there is more than one egg, not all of them will hatch at the same time. When the chick manages to break the shell enough to get out, hatching occurs. The little ones leave the egg wet and tired.
For a chick to develop, the egg must be incubated, either by its mother or in suitable facilities.
Video of chicks hatching
To better see the birth of a chick, the following video from the Gaia Sanctuary shows how a chick is born and how, in Sometimes the mother can help the little one out. Likewise, we observed that the chicks are born with their eyes open and that, once recovered from fatigue, they walk and move freely.
What to do when a chick doesn't hatch?
We have already seen how chicks hatch, but sometimes they can take more than 21 days to hatch. It may be due to a problem in the incubation temperature or because the chick is weak or has even died. If we see an egg with a slightly broken shell and for about 12 hours we do not see any progress, we can help the little one out With tweezers and removing only small fragments of the shell This process is very delicate and not all experts recommend it, as they indicate that it is preferable to let nature take its course. In addition, if the chick is not he althy, it is likely that it will eventually die. If it is in the beginning phase of lung respiration and shell pecking, we could suffocate it if we intervene.
If the egg has been incubated by the mother, it is most likely that she will help the chick to hatch, as we have seen in the previous video. We must not act, since we could hinder the hen's work or stress it.
How to care for chicks?
It is just as important to know how the chicks hatch as what care they should receive once out of the egg. If the chicks are with her mother, she will be in charge of taking care of them and we only have to make sure that other hens or roosters do not disturb the family. On the contrary, if it is about orphaned chicks, it is important that we provide them with housing with the right temperature, for which a lamp is usually used to give them heat. The enclosure must be installed in a place away from other animals and kept clean. We must not place it high because a fall could be fatal.
Chicks should have always food and water at their disposal When they have just hatched they can take a few days to start eating without being due to no pathology. The diet is based on corn, which must first be powdered. In specialized establishments they can advise us and offer us adequate food preparations. A motherless chick will take its keeper as such. For more details, see the article on "What do chicks eat?".
Between 2-4 weeks after hatching, the chicks already have feathers, so they do not need to be kept in such a hot environment and they can go to a chicken coop. At 8 weeks they acquire adult plumage and we can now feed them with a mixture for growing chicks. By 5 months they are sexually mature. The veterinarian will be in charge of advising us on he alth-related care. Do not miss the article in which we explain in detail how to raise chicks to know the ideal temperature and all its care.
